It Takes a Village–to Staff a Factory
by James Fallows
“It indeed is an oasis, but the passion and commitment are replicable elsewhere.” A Kenyan-born man working in Mississippi on some of the things the state has done right. (Read it here.)

It’s one thing to draw high-skill, high-wage jobs to a place that has historically lacked opportunities. It’s something else altogether to find people qualified to fill them. A local answer to a national question. (Read it here.)

The Endless Civil War, Continued
by James Fallows
“Should the people in Mississippi stay poor? I would suggest taking a serious look at the answer ‘yes’.” So says a reader who lives elsewhere. (Read it here.)